Gluing machine



R. R. ERBE GLUING MACHINE Jan. 14, 1936.

Filed May 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 1794/ A. [K55 W -I-d' ATTORNEYJ.

Jan. 14, 1936. R. R. ERBE GLUING MACHINE Filed May 26, 19:4

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Bur/r A. Z'KBE.

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 14, 1936.

R. R. ERBE GLUING MACHINE Filed May 26, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 l-l I INVENTOR.

EMF/1 K. IRBE.

W ATTORNEYS.

m f Q Q Jan. 14, 1936. R, R ERBE 2,027,523

GLUING MACHINE} Filed May 26, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Z03 202 20/ INVENTOR.

k/YLP K, 5X55: MW%M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES GLUING MACHINE Ralph It. Erbe, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to The Capeliart Corporation, Fort Wayne, 1116.,

a corporation Application May 26, 1934, Serial No. 727,777

13 Claims.

This invention relates to swatch gluing apparatus.

In preparing samples of dress goods and other fabrics for distribution to salesmen and purchasers, the samples or swatches are fixed upon sheets of cardboard or heavy paper, preferably by means of paste or glue. In preparing a large number of samples, this has heretofore required a large amount of manual labor, especially in the application of the glue. In the present invention, spots of paste or glue are supplied by a gluing machine to the pasteboard or paper sheets in the proper position for each size and shape of sample, thus eliminating this part of the manual labor. The only manual labor required is to attach the swatches to the sheets by pressing them against the proper glue spots. The machine is so designed that a large number of sheets may be run through in a short time and each sheet will have the glue spots placed thereon in exactly the proper position. The sheets with the glue thereon are delivered to a conveyor from which they may be removed singly by operators who quickly affix the swatches thereto.

.3 The principal object of the invention is generally to improve upon apparatus of this type.

One feature of the invention resides in the use of a rotating, off-bearing conveyor or receiving table and the provision of means for controlling 30 the operation of the machine to deliver sheets to the off-bearing conveyor only when there are vacant places for said sheets on the conveyor.

Thus, the operation of the machine is made to,

conform to the speed of the operators in removing sheets from the conveyor and attaching swatches thereto.

Another feature of the invention resides in the means provided for backing up the sheets during the deposition of glue thereon and for controlling the movement of said backing up means to prevent deposition of glue thereon when no sheet is passing through.

Another feature of the invention resides in the means provided for mounting and adjusting the glue pot to supply a desired thickness of glue film to the sheets.

Another feature resides in the arrangement of stop devices used to control the feeding of sheets to the machine.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the following specification and claims and the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the gluing machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with parts removed and other parts cut away. Fig. 3

is .a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary end view of a corner of the glue pot showing the mounting thereof. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the relation of the gluing machine and the off-bearing conveyor. Fig. 9 is an elevational view of an arrangement of a photoelectric cell and lamp for illuminating the same used in the control of operation of the machine. Fig. 10 is a diagram of electric wiring for the control of the machine.

The embodiment of the gluing machine illus- 15 trated in the drawings is of the general type in which the sheets are successively fed beneath a rotating drum 15 carrying projecting pins l6 which engage the sheets and deposit thereon a number of spots of glue in the proper position for the size of swatch to be attached thereto. The pins are removably set in threaded holes in the drum and a sufiicient number of said holes are provided for a variety of sizes of cards and swatches. A glue pot I1 is mounted on the machine and a glue roller l8 revolves therein to carry a film of glue from the pot and deposit the same on the tips of the pins Hi. The feeding of sheets beneath the drum is mechanically conv trolled in timed relation with the rotation of the drum to insure that the glue spots are placed thereon at the proper positions. The sheets are fed from'the gluing machine onto a continuously rotating ofi-bearing conveyor or table I9 and mechanism is provided which prevents delivery of a sheet from the machine unless there is a vacant space on the table in position to receive the same. The sheets are removed from the table by operators seated about the same and the swatches are manually attached thereto by said 40 operators.

A detailed description of the embodiment of the invention illustratedin the drawings follows:

Frame of gluing machine The stationary frame of the gluing machine consists of a base plate 20, a pair of side plates 2| and 22, and a deck plate 23 supported upon the side plates 2| and 22. The two side plates are stabilized by means of a tie'rod 24. 50

Drum mounting and drive ed in a suitable bearing on the side plate 2|. A collar 28 surrounds the hub 26 and is adjustably secured thereto by a set screw 28. One or more pins 38 are secured in the collar 28 and project into suitable holes provided in the hub 3| of the drum.

The opposite end of the drum I5 is supported upon a ball bearing 32 which is carried by a stud 33 mounted upon the side plate 22. The said stud is secured in place by a set screw 34 and may be withdrawn for removal of the drum when said screw is loosened. When the stud 33 has been withdrawn the drum may be moved longitudinally to free the shaft 25 from the hub 26 and the pins 38 from the hub 3|. In removing the drum in this manner the adjusted position of the collar 28 upon the hub 26 is not disturbed so that the drum may be replaced in the original angular relation to shaft 21 without readjustment.

A motor 35 mounted on an extension 36 of the base plate 28 continuously drives the drum 5 through power transmission apparatus consisting of pulley 31, belt 38, pulley 38, cone pulley 48, belt 4|, cone pulley 42, pinion 43, gear 44, pinion 45, gear 46, gear 41 and gear 48, the last-mentioned gear being mounted upon the stub shaft 21. Each of the said gears and pulleys is mounted on a shaft or stud suitably supported on one or both of the side plates 2| and 22, with the exception of pulley 31 which is mounted on the shaft of motor 35.

Glue pot mounting and drive The glue pot I1 is in the form of an open trough extending transversely across the machine. At

each of the lower corners of the pot there is formed a tongue 48. The said tongues are slidably supported in guideways between flanges 58 which are formed integrally with the side plates 2| and 22. By this construction the glue pot may be slid toward or away from the drum IS.

A pair of lugs 5| are formed on the inner surfaces of the side plates 2| and 22 and each carries an adjusting screw 52 positioned to engage a corner of one of the tongues 48. A pair of lock screws 53 are threadedly engaged with the side plates 2| and 22 and are provided with slots 54 in their heads, said slots being of the proper size to permit passage therethrough of the tongues 48.

The glue roller 8 is mounted on a shaft 55 suitably journaled upon the end walls of the glue pot l1 and carrying at its outer end a gear 56. The said gear and the roller l8 are rotated by a gear train consisting of gears 51 and 58, the latter gear meshing with the continuously rotating gear 48.

Within the glue pot there is provided a spreader 58 in the form of a yoke pivotally mounted on pivot pins 68 on the opposite end walls of the said pot and extending across the full length of the roller l8. The spreader 58 is provided with a handle 6| to which there is attached a tension spring 62 the opposite end of which is attached to a pin 63 mounted upon the rear wall of the glue pot II.

An adjusting screw 64 threadedly engages said rear wall and the top thereof engages the spreader 58 to limit the travel thereof under the infiuence of the spring 62. I

In the assembly of the glue pot, the lock screws 53 are rotated until the slots 54 therein are in alignment with the guideways between the flanges 58. The glue pot may then be slid into place against theadjusting screws 52. The said screws are adjusted to provide a slight clearance between the glue roller l8 and the pins l6 sufficient for the deposition on the said pins of the desired thickness of glue film. The lock screws 53 are then rotated until the heads thereof engage the glue pot and press it firmly against the adjusting screws 52. The adjusting screw 64 is adjusted to give a clearance between the spreader 58 and the glue roller |8 sufllcient to insure that the desired thickness of glue film is uniformly spread on the said roller. For removal of the glue pot for cleaning or other purposes, it is only necessary to rotate the screws 53 until the slots 54 in their heads are in position to permit passage of the tongues 48. The pot may then be withdrawn and can then be replaced without the necessity of further adjustment since the position of the adjusting screws 52 is not disturbed in the removal and replacement.

Sheet guiding and feeding mechanism For the purpose of placing the sheets in proper lateral relation with respect to the drum l5, there are provided a'pair of guides 65 having horizontal flanges 66 which are positioned on the deck plate 23 or slightly above the same and which extend from the left hand end of the machine,

as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the rotation of the shafts causes the bushings 61 and the guide members 65 to approach each other or recede from each other. The shafts 68 and 68 carry sprockets 18 about which there is trained a chain H by means of which the two shafts may be rotated in unison. A crank 12 is mounted upon one of the shafts for rotating the same. By this means the spacing of the guide members 65 may be adjusted to suit varying widths of sheets and the sheets, when guided thereby, will always reach the drum I5 in the same lateral relationship.

Beneath the deck plate 23 and projecting through a suitable opening therein there is a roller 13 mounted upon a cross shaft 14. A pair of similar rollers 15 are mounted upon a similar shaft I6. The said rollers are constantly rotated from the gear 41 by a gear train consisting of pinions 11 and 18, gear 18, pinion 88, gear 8| and pinion 82, the pinions 88 and 82 being mounted on the shafts I6 and 14 respectively.

A rock shaft 83 extends transversely across the machine and carries an arm 84 on which there is rotatably mounted, by means of a pivot pin 85, a roller 86, the said roller being positioned directly above the roller 13. One end of the rock shaft 83 carries a lever 81 having an upturned end or finger 88 engaging a cam 88 secured to the gear 51. A tension spring 88 is secured at one end to the lever 81 and at the opposite end to an adjusting screw 8| carried by a pin 82 fixedly mounted upon the tie rod 24. By means of this construction the shaft 83 is periodically rocked under the influence of the cam 88., The arm 84 attached to said shaft is thus raised and lowered to bring the roller 66 into engagement with the roller 13 or with the upper surface of a sheet of paper if one has been inserted by the operator between said rollers.

A resilient finger 83 (partly cut away in Fig. 2 for sake of clearness) is secured to the arm 84 and extends downwardly ahead of the roller 86 to contact with the deck plate 23 or with a sheet of paper thereon when the roller 86 is lowered. The said finger, when in contactwith the deck "plate, prevents the insertion of a sheet beneath the roll but the tension thereof is so adjusted that it does not interfere with the movement of a sheet already in place.

A second rock shaft 94 extends across the machine and is suitably supported upon the side plates 2I and 22. The said shaft carries a pair of arms 95 on the outer ends of which are rotatably mounted a pair of rollers 96, said rollers being positioned directly above the rollers I5. In addition, there is secured to the rock shaft 94 a resilient finger 91 having a downwardly projecting end or gate 98 engageable with the deck plate 23 between the rollers 96 and slightly ahead of the center line of said rollers. The rock shaft 94 also carries a lever arm 99 having an upturned end or finger I engaging a cam IOI formed integrally with the stub shaft 21. The rock shaft 94 is periodically oscillated under the influence of said cam to move the rollers 96 downwardly and upwardly into and out of engagement with the rollers I or with a sheet of paper interposed therebetween. At the same time, the gate 98 is raised and lowered to engage the deck plate 23 or to engage the upper surface of a sheet of paper resting thereon.

In the operation of this portion of the mechanism, the operator places a sheet of paper upon the guideways 66. As the finger 88 reaches the elevated portion of cam 89 the roller 86 and finger 93 are raised to permit the operator to slide the paper beneath the edge of the roll 86. When the cam 89 is rotatedsuificiently to bring the finger 88 to the root of said cam, the roller 86 drops, engages the paper and draws it forwardly into engagement with the gate 98 since the adjustment of cams 89 and IOI is such that at this time the finger I00 is riding upon the root of said cam and the gate 98 is in contact with the deck plate 23. The adjustment of the spring 90 is such that the pressure exerted by roller 86 upon the paper is sufficient to advance the same to the gate 98 but is not sufiicient to prevent slipping of the roller 13 on the under surface of said paper when the paper has been stopped by said gate. The paper in this position is prevented from being crumpled by a sheet I02 of resilient metal which engages the upper surface thereof and which is suitably supported upon the tie rod 24.

As the cam IOI is rotated, the finger I00 reaches a projection I03 thereon causing the gate 96, and the rollers 96 to be momentarily elevated sufliciently to permit the sheet to be pushed beneath the same by roller I3. Immediately after passing the projection I03, the finger I00 moves to the arcuate outer surface I04 of the cam under the influence of a tension spring I05. In this position the rollers 96 are dropped sufficiently to engage the upper surface of the paper and to start the final movement of the sheet beneath the drum I5. It will be seen that the position of the projection I03 which determines the time of raising the gate 98 controls the initiation of final movement of the sheet and since the projection I03 is in a fixed angular relation to the pins I6, the pins will invariably engage corresponding portions of each sheet. The glue spots thereon will, therefore, invariably be in the proper place for the swatch to be applied thereto.

For further aiding the advance of the sheets a roller I06 is positioned beneath the deck plate 23 and projects upwardly through an enlongated opening therein. The said roller is mounted upon a shaft I08 which also carries the pinion I8 and the roller is thus constantly rotated. A number of smaller rollers I09 are positioned directly above the roller I06 on a shaft IIO which is supported on a pair of arms III freely mounted upon a shaft H2. The rollers I09, by their weight, serve to press the sheet against the roller I06 and thus assist in the further advancement of the sheets.

For discharging the sheets from the machine after deposition of glue thereon, 'there is provided an additional roller II3 positioned beyond the edge of the deck plate 23 and having its upper surface substantially at the deck plate level. The said roller is carried on a shaft I I4 suitably supported on the side plates 2| and 22 and carrying a pinion I I5 at its outer end. An idler pinion I I6 meshes with the pinion I I5 and with the gear 41 'and thus continuously drives the roller II3. A

square shaft III is adjustably mounted upon the side plates 2| and 22 and has secured thereto a pair of resilient arms II8 supporting a shaft H9. The shaft I I9 carries slidably mounted thereon a plurality of small rollers I positioned directly above the roller I I3. The position of shaft I I1 is so adjusted that the resilient arms I I8 exert sufficient pressure upon the rollers I20 to press the sheets firmly against the roller I I3. The rollers thus are enabled to give to the sheets their final movement for discharging the same from the machine.

Slidably mounted upon the square shaft II'I there are a plurality of small fittings I2I corresponding in number to the rollers I20. Attached to each of the fittings I2I there is a pair of tension springs I22 to each of which there is attached a wire I23. The opposite ends of said wires are attached to hooks I24 which engage the shaft H2. The wires I23 pass'beneath the shaft I I9 on each side of. the rollers I20 and thus serve to retain the rollers in a relatively fixed position upon the said shaft. This position can be so adjusted by sliding the fittingsl2l and the hooks I24 that the rollers I20 will not interfere with the glue spots on the sheets. The wires I23 serve the further purpose of preventing the sheets from adhering to the pins I6 and being drawn upwardly thereby. The use of the springs I22 insures a uniform yielding tension upon the wires.

From the rollers II3 the sheets are discharged onto a downwardly sloping apron I25 from which they fall onto the revolving table or conveyor I9. In their movement down the apron I25 the sheets are guided by a pluralityof fingers I26 pivotally mounted upon lugs I21 formed upon the fittings I2 I. The position of the apron I25 is adjusted by means of an arm I28 pivotally secured to the bottom thereof and extending through a lug I29 formed upon the base plate 20. An adjusting nut I30 threadedly engaging the said arm I28 serves to fix the position of. the apron. The said apron is pivotally mounted on the side plates 2I and 22 by means of pivot pins I3I.

Sheet back-up mechanism movement so that it may be lowered away from the drum I5 if no sheet is present in the machine. The roller I 32 is mounted upon a shaft I33 each end of which is guided in a vertical slot I34 formed in the face of a guide stud I35. Two of these guide studs are provided, one of. which is locked by a lock nut I36 to the side plate 2| and the other is similarly locked to the side plate 22. The shaft I33 is supported at each end by a vertically movable member I31, the lower end of which is forked, as best shown in Fig. 4 and straddles a horizontal shaft I38 extending across the machine. A tension spring I38 is anchored to the base plate 20 at one end and to the member I 31 at the opposite end and serves to pull the said member downwardly. A pin I40 is secured to the member I31 and rides on a cam I H secured to the shaft I38. The gear 46 is keyed to the shaft I38 which, therefore, is constantly rotated. The cam I4I carries a pair of rollers I 42 each of which periodically engages the pin I40 to elevate the member I31 and the back-up roller I32. A rock shaft I43 extends transversely across the machine and carries a latch pin I44. When the member I31 is lifted by one of the rollers I42 and at the same time the rock shaft I43 is rocked to the left in Fig. 4, the end of the latch pin I44 is brought beneath the member I31 to maintain the same in its eevated position. The movement of the rock shaft I43 is limited in both directions by a stop member I45 secured to said rock shaft and engaging the base plate 20.

For actuation of the rock shaft I43 there is provided on its outer end an arm I46 to which there is attached a spring I41, the opposite end of which is attached to a finger I48 engaging a cam I48 secured to the gear 46. The finger I48 is mounted upon the rock shaft I I2 which also carries a finger I50 having a downwardly extending lip I5I which is movable by oscillation of the shaft I I2 into and out of an opening I52 (Fig. 2) in the deck plate 23. A tension spring I53 is anchored at one end to the side plate 2I and at the opposite end to the finger I48.

In the operation of this part of the apparatus, each of the rollers I 42 is timed to elevate the backup roll I 32 as the finger I 48 rides upon a projection I54 on the cam I48. The finger I48 thus exerts a tension upon the spring I41 to rock the shaft I 43 and bring the latch member I44 beneath the member I31. The finger I48 immediately leaves the projection I54, permitting the spring I53 to draw the same to the right in Fig, 1. This movement tends to rock the shaft I I2 and to bring the lip I5I downwardly. If at this time a sheet has passed the gate 88, the lip I5I engages the same and is prevented from further downward movement. The tension of the spring I41 is thus preserved to maintain the latch member I44 in position to hold the back-up roller in its elevated position. If, however, no sheet has passed the gate 88 the finger I5I may enter the opening I52 in the deck plate and permit further movement of the finger I48. This movement releases the tension on the spring I41, permitting the latch member I44 to move from beneath the member I31 and permitting the same to be drawn downwardly by the spring I38. To insure movement of the latch member the size and tension of the spring I 41 is so chosen that it becomes coil bound when the lip I5I enters the opening I52. The said spring,

therefore, exerts a positive pressure tending to force the latch member I44 from its position under member I31. If desired, however, an additional the bridge I68.

the cam IOI.

spring may be provided to supply the necessary force.

The back-up roller is frictionally rotated by a roller I55 which is pressed against the same and against the constantly rotated roller H3. The roller I55 is supported on a shaft I56 each end of which is carried on the upper end of an inclined link I51 in turn pivotally mounted on the outer end of a lever I58. The said levers are freely mounted on the shaft I38 and have attached to their opposite ends tension springs I68 anchored to the base plate 20. These springs provide the necessary force for pressing roller I55 against rollers H3 and I32.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the back-up roll I32 may be elevated just after the time for introduction of a sheet past the gate 98 and that the said roller will be automatically returned to its lower position if at that time no sheet has in fact passed the gate. The timing may be such that the roller returns to its lower position, if at all, before the pins I6 reach the roller so that no glue can be deposited thereon by said pins. The force necessary for the upward movement of the roller, for setting the latch and for the tripping of the latch to lower the roller, is supplied by other means than the movement of the sheet of paper. The only force exerted on the paper is that required to prevent movement of the rock shaft II 2 by spring I41 and this force is applied through a relatively long lever arm.

Control The table I8 is constantly rotated at any desired speed, preferably by an electric motor, not shown. The speed of operation of the gluing machine is varied to correspond to the speed of rotation of the table by means of a belt-shifting device consisting of a yoke I60 straddling the belt H and mounted on a threaded shaft I6I. The yoke is prevented from rotating with the shaft by a guide rod I62 and thus travels backward or forward along shaft I6I as said shaft is rotated. A crank I63 is mounted on the shaft I 6I for rotating the same. Movement of the yoke I60 shifts belt 4I upon the cone pulleys 40 and 42 to adjust the speed of the machine.

In order to prevent delivery of sheets from the gluing machine to the table on top of sheets already in place on the table there is provided the following apparatusz-Mounted on the side plate 2I there is a bracket I64 carrying a magnet coil having an iron or steel plunger I66 slidably mounted therein. The plunger I66 has a nonferrous extension I61 movable by movement of the plunger into the path of a bridge-like mem ber I68 carried upon the arm 88. A leaf spring I68 is secured to the plate 2I by means of stub shaft I10 and nut I1I. Said spring engages a shoulder on the extension I61 and normally urges the same to the left in Fig. 6 to disengage it from The relative positions of the bridge I68 and plunger I66 are such that said bridge is directly opposite said plunger when the feed roller 86 is engaged with a sheet for feeding the same but below the plunger when the finger I00 is riding upon the portion I84 of If during this latter period of time the solenoid is energized, the plunger is moved to the right bringing the extension I61 into the path' of bridge I66. In this position the bridge is prevented from completing its full travel when finger I00 leaves the portion I04 of the cam and, therefore, the feed roller 86 is prevented from engaging the sheet for feeding the same; If, however, the solenoid is not energized spring I69 maintains the plunger in its normal position and regular feeding of the sheets takes place.

For controlling the operation of the solenoid I65 to stop the feeding of sheets the following apparatus is providedz-Mounted on the side plate 22 there is an'adjustable bracket I12 carrying a base I13 on which there is mounted a lamp I14 and a photo-cell I15. The bracket I12 is adjusted to bring the lamp and photo-cell above the path of the sheets on the table I9 just ahead of the gluing machine. The photo-cell and solenoid are connected by wiring, to be hereinafter described, in such manner that when light from the lamp I14-is reflected from a sheet on thetable to the photo-cell the solenoid will be energized to stop the feeding of the next sheet to the table. The table itself is covered with a dark material so that insuflicient light will be reflected therefrom to operate the solenoid when no sheet is present thereon. The position of the photo-cell is so chosen that the time required for movement of a sheet on the table from beneath the cell to the discharge point of the gluing machine is approximately the same as that required to pass a sheet through the gluing machine. The operation of the photo-cell therefore prevents de-' positing of a sheet on top of one already on the table but permits the deposition of a sheet in any empty space upon the table. The operation of the gluing machine is thus synchronized with the speed of the operators in removing sheets from the table.

A diagram of the electrical wiring for the photo-cell and solenoid is shown in Fig. 10. In this diagram a relay box mounted at any convenient point on or about the machine is indicated by the reference number I16. Mounted in the relay box there are a transformer I11, having a primary winding I18 and three secondary windings I19, I and I8I, a normally closed magnetic relay I82, an alternating current amplifying tube I83 and a variable resistor I84. A pair of power mains I85 and I86 are connected by a plug I81 to any suitable source of electric supply such as, for example, a IIO volt alternating current lighting or power circuit. Branches of the power mains I85 and I86 are connected to the primary winding I18 and to the lamp I14 and constantly supply power thereto. A branch of the power main I86 is connected to the. solenoid I65 while the opposite terminal of said solenoid is connected through a line I88 and the normally closed contacts of the relay I82 to the power main I85. The solenoid I64 therefore is constantly energized unless the magnet coil I89 of the relay I82 is energized. The said magnet coil is connected in a circuit which includes a grounded conductor I90, the cathode I9I of the amplifying tube I83, the plate I92 of said tube, a conductor I93, the secondary winding I19 and a conductor I94.

' The current passing through the circuit for energizing the relay magnet depends upon' the potential of the grid I95 of the amplifying tube and is so adjusted that when the grid is maintained at substantially zero potential there is sufficient current in the circuit to energize the relay, but if the grid potential is reduced considerably below zero there will be insuiilcient current to energize the relay.

The heating filament I96 of the tube I83 is constantly supplied with energy from. secondary denser 202 and a conductor 203. The opposite terminals of the variable resistor I84 are connected to branches of the conductors I98 and 203 and hence said resistor is in parallel across this circuit. The adjustable finger 204 thereof is grounded. The cathode 200 is grounded through a resistance 205. The grid I 95 of the tube I83 is connected to the cathode 200 through a resistance 206 and the conductor 20 I In the operation of this apparatus, when there is no sheet in position beneath the photo-cell to reflect light thereon, the current passing through the photo-cell is practically zero. The

cathode thereof is then maintained at substantially zero potential since no current passes through the grounding resistance 205. The grid I95 which is connected to the cathode 200 is also at zero potential. The plate current through the amplifier I83 is then sufficient to energize the magnet coil I89 to open the contacts to the relay I82 and deenergize the solenoid I65. When deenergized, the solenoid permits the operation of the gluing machine to deliver a sheet to the rotating conveyor I9. If the operators fail to remove all of the sheets from the conveyor I9 and one of said sheets passes beneath the photo-cell I15, it reflects a certain amount of light thereon sufficient to permit electronic discharge from the anode I99 to the cathode 200 during the half of the alternating current cycle in which the said anode is at a higher potential than the cathode. The path of movement of said electrons is from the cathode 200 through the resistance 205 to ground, thence to the finger 204, through a part of the resistance I84 and back to the anode through the conductor I98. This current flow has the result of depressing the potential of the oathode 200 below zero potential by an amountdetermined by the current flowing through resistance 205 and the portion of the resistance I84 through which the current must pass. Since the grid I95 is directly connected to the cathode 200, the grid potential is also' depressed in the same amount. This depression of the grid potential decreases the plate current through the amplifier I83 sufficiently to deenergize the relay magnet I89 and permit energizing of the solenoid I65. When energized, the said solenoid operates to prevent the gluing machine from supplying a sheet to the rotating conveyor I9.

In the foregoing operation the grid potential for a given amount of light impinging on the poto-cell may be varied by variation of the mov-; able finger 204.

Alternative operation It will be seen in Fig. 1 that the shaft 21 and the shaft I38 rotate at the same number of revolutions per minute since'the gears 46 and 48 are of equal size. The cams carried by said shafts are designed to repeat each of their operations twice in' a single rotation. Thus, two sheets may be fed through the machine for each rotation of the drum I5. For extra long sheets, however, it is desirable that only one sheet be fed for each rotation of the drum I5. For this purpose there is provided a detachable member 201 which is normally carried for convenience bolted to the cam IOI. For operation on the long sheets, the piece 201 is removed and is secured to cam llll by bolts or screws through holes 208, in which position the outer surface of the member 201 forms a continuation of the outer surface I04 of the cam NH and thus permits only one operation of the feed roll 96 for each rotation of the drum l5. By this means only one sheet is fed through the apparatus for each rotation even though the operations controlled by the remaining cams take place twice in each rotation.

The foregoing specification describes a preferred form of the invention the details of which may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as delined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a gluing machine through which sheets are passed to deposit glue thereon, a rotating receiving table positioned to receive sheets discharged from said machine, and apparatus responsive to the presence of a sheet at a predetermined point on said table to stop the operation of said machine in proper timed relation to prevent discharge of a second sheet therefrom upon said first sheet.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a gluing machine through which sheets are passed to deposit glue thereon, a rotating receiving table positioned to receive sheets discharged from said machine, a photo-cell, a lamp positioned to transmit light to said photocell byrefiection from a sheet at a predetermined point on said table, and electrical apparatus controlled by said photo-cell when the same is ener-' gized by light so reflected to stop the operation of said machine in proper timed relation to prevent deposition of a second sheet upon said first-mentioned sheet.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a gluing machine through which sheets are passed to deposit glue thereon, a rotating receiving table positioned to receive sheets discharged from said machine, a feed roller in said machine engageable with a sheet to initiate the movement thereof through the machine,

means for moving said feed roller into engagement with said sheet, a solenoid adapted when energized to prevent said movement of the roller, 9. photo-cell, a lamp positioned to transmit light to said photo-cell by reflection from a sheet at a predetermined point on said table, and electrical connections between said photo-cell and said solenoid by means of which said solenoid is operated to maintain said roller out of engagement with-a sheet when said photo-cell is energized by light so reflected, the position of said photo-cell and the speed of operation of said table and said machine being so adjusted that said light-reflecting sheet arrives at the receiving point on said table at substantially the time when a sheet would have been delivered to said table if the movement of said roller had not been prevented.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a gluing machine tnrough which sheets are passed to deposit glue thereon, a rotating receiving table positioned to receive sheets discharged from said machine, mechanism in said machine for initiating the feeding of a sheet therethrough at a predetermined time in the cycle of operation, a solenoid operating to render said mechanism inoperable, a photo-cell, a lamp positioned to transmit light to said photo-cell by refiection from a sheet at a predetermined point on the table, and electrical connections between said photo-cell and said solenoid by means of which said solenoid is operated to prevent operation of said feeding, mechanism at said predetermined time if light is so reflected, the position of said photo-cell and the speed of operation of said table and said machine being such that said light-refleeting sheet reaches the receivingposition on said table at substantially the same time that a sheet would have been deposited thereon if it had been fed to said machine at said predetermined time.

5. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the apparatus, a rotatable member engaging said sheet to deposit an adhesive thereon, a stop device for arresting the movement of said sheet at a predetermined point before reaching said rotatable member, mechanism operating said stop device to release said sheet for further movement at a predetermined time in the rotation of said rotatable member, and a second stop device operated to arrest the movement of following sheets when said first stop device is in releasing position.

6. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the apparatus, a rotatable member engaging said sheet to deposit an adhesive thereon, a stop device i'or arresting the movement of said sheet at a predetermined point before reaching said rotatable member, a second stop device for arresting the movement of said sheet before reaching said first device, and mechanism operating said devices ,to release a sheet from said second device only when said first device is in sheet arresting position and to release a sheet from said first device in timed relation with the movement of said rotating member.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotating member adapted to deposit glue on sheets passing through said apparatus, a feed roller adapted to engage a sheet for starting the travel thereof through the machine, a second feed roller adapted to engage said sheet at a point in its travel beyond said first roller, 9, stop member positioned to engage a sheet fed by said first roller before reaching said second roller and to prevent further movement thereof under the influence of said first roller, and mechanism operable at a predetermined point in the cycle of operation of said rotary member to move said stop member out ofengagement with the sheet and to bring said second feed roller into engagement therewith to initiate the final movement of said sheet through the apparatus.

8. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotating member adapted to deposit glue on sheets passing through said apparatus, a feed roller adapted to engage a sheet for starting the travel thereof through the machine, a second feed roller adapted to engage said sheet at a point in its travel beyond said first roller, a stop member positioned to engage a sheet fed by said first roller before reaching said second roller and to prevent further movement thereof under the influence of said first roller, mechanism operable at a predetermined point in the cycle of operation of said rotary member to move said stop member out of engagement with the sheet and to bring said second feed roller into engagement therewith to initiate the final movement of said sheet through the apparatus, and means engaging the opposite surfaces of a sheet when engaged with said stop member to prevent crumpling thereof by the action of said first feed roller.

for movement out of back-up position when not engaged by a. sheet.

10. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rotatable member adapted-to deposit adhesive upon a sheet passing through said apparatus, a back-up member movable intoand out of position for backing up a sheet during deposition of said adhesive, a latch device arranged when latched to hold the same in back-up position, a control member for said device normally engaged by a sheet and held in latching position thereby but being free to release said latch device when not engaged by a sheet, and poweroperated mechanism for returning said back-up member to back-up position and for resetting said latch.

11. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable member adapted to deposit glue upon one surface of a sheet passing through said apparatus, a back-up member member adapted to engage the opposite surface of said sheet during deposition of glue thereon and movable into and out of backing-up position, a finger engageable with the surface of a sheet at a predetermined point in its travel through said machine, power-operated means for moving said back-up member into back-up position and for bringing said finger into contact with said sheet, a latch adapted when latched to retain said backup member in back-up position, and control apparatus connecting said finger and latch by means of which said latch is maintained in latched position if said finger engages a sheet but is released to permit return of said back-up member out of 5 back-up position if no sheet is in position to be engaged by said finger.

12. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable member adapted to deposit glue upon one surface of a sheet passing 10 through said apparatus, aback-up roller engaging the opposite surface of said sheet during deposition of glue thereon and movable into and out of back-up position, a second roller constantly rotated about a fixed axis, a third roller friction- 15 ally engaging said back-up roller and said second roller to transmit rotation to said back-up roller, a movable mounting for said third roller, and means for biasing said mounting to cause movement thereof in the proper direction to 20 maintain contact between said rollers irrespective of the position of said back-up roller.

13. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a rotatable member adapted to deposit glue upon one surface of a sheet passing 5 through said apparatus, a back-up roller engag ing the opposite surface of said sheet during deposition of glue thereon and movable into and out of back-up position, a second roller constantly rotated about a fixed axis, a third roller 30 frictionally engaging said back-up roller and said second roller to transmit rotation to said back-up roller. a pair of levers, links secured to the ends of said levers and pivotally supporting said third roller, and yielding means urging said levers in the proper direction to maintain contact between said rollers independently of the position of said back-up roller.

RALPH R. ERBE. 

